The Barrows. Another pureblood family from the long lines of Slytherin ancestry. It's 1991, and Elmira and Clyde Barrows' daughter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has arrived.
The Wizarding World is not safe to our young O...
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"𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞,"
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The train's wheels came to a screeching halt, thrusting the four children from their seats and funnelled their way through to the exit of the train. The huddled warmth from the squirming first years made her comfortable. Ophelia waded her way through the sea of ersatz sable fabrics, murmurs passing around over her head and through her ears. She saw the big man she bumped into in Diagon Alley up ahead, holding a vast oil lantern in his hand. She heard Harry call him "Hagrid." He must be a groundskeeper of some sort.
"First years, this way please!" He beckoned over his shoulder, ambling his way down towards the docks. She tried to make her way over to Ron and Harry but was caught by the arm by someone else. It was Draco. She smiled sweetly, stepping down onto the wooden dock.
"Care to sit with me?" He held out a hand once he stepped into the boat. She giggled slightly before taking it, climbing over the multiple benches in the belly, squishing in next to him on the bow. Hagrid called out something to the students, and the vessel lurched forwards. Ophelia fell forward, gripping onto Draco to stable her balance. She blushed and let go as they rounded the land outcropping.
Staring at it, it was better than she had ever imagined. The windows lit up with a welcoming ocherous glow, illuminating the rest of the castle in its wake. Draco pointed at the many spires and victorian-styled roofing, it's dark shingles blending into the starry twilight sky. They shared low whispers and murmurs, examining the ageing structure as they drifted closer to the castle. Once they got inside, she was sure to explore the hundreds if not thousands of hallways that webbed throughout all of Hogwarts.
Their boat hit the side of the stone quay as they docked, the murky water lapping at the mossing cobblestone at the cusp of the sea. Multiple birds flew through the arches of the bridge that mended the chasm between mainland and Hogwarts. They squawked in the darkness of night, swooping downwards and disappearing into the water. How peculiar.
Ophelia lifted her robes slightly as she stepped onto stable ground, sharing a big grin with Draco as they linked arms and walked in tandem towards the biggest adventure of their lives.
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The clamorous aggregated clacking of new footwear and children's murmurs echoed throughout the castle. As the young group proceeded their way up multiple flights of stairs, Ophelia admired the gallery of paintings: portraits that exploded with colour, filling the rather dull walls with life and a little bit of texture. She made eye contact with a small image, a victorian style oil painting with a young woman, and to her surprise, the lady waved to her! She jumped back a little bit. Her parents hadn't told her about that.
